Best time to book to spain / ibiza etc..

duncan32

Hello all,

I have had a little look on this part of the site, but for such a common question I can't see a live thread. Anyway, last year was the first time I took my family abroad (kids just about old enough to be ok!). We went to Ibiza (2 adults, a four year old and a 7 year old), for £1500 for a week on half board. Nice enough hotel, right by the beach. But, it wasn't THAT nice, and we spent more time by the pool than on the beach, so I wondered why I had bothered paying presumably extra to be close. Also, the Hotel food was awful so we ended up eating out every night anyway and spending a fair bit 'cause of the euro rate. Anyway, the reason for my post: is it best to wait until the last minute before booking this type of holiday. I love the idea of booking a week off work, and then waiting until the week before to sort out the holiday. Does anyone have any experiences (good or bad) of doing this? Was it worth it, i.e. did you save a lot of money? Did you end up having a rubbish holiday? Any advice would be appreciated, as part of me wants to risk it to save some cash and the other part thinks I should play it safe!

Anyway, thanks in advance.

Duncan

davetrousers

Booking at the last minute can mean you only get a choice of 'what's left'. Plus you often have to pay a surcharge to pick up your tickets at the airport.

I reckon book well in advance. More choice and "Early Booking Discounts".

You don't say when you're thinking of going. Do you want Ibiza again, or anywhere in Spain (Mainland, Canaries, Balearics)?

spiro

The other issue with booking late is you are very unlikely to get any 'free' child places.

duncan32

davetrousers wrote: »

Booking at the last minute can mean you only get a choice of 'what's left'. Plus you often have to pay a surcharge to pick up your tickets at the airport.

I reckon book well in advance. More choice and "Early Booking Discounts".

You don't say when you're thinking of going. Do you want Ibiza again, or anywhere in Spain (Mainland, Canaries, Balearics)?

Thanks for the reply. Not Ibiza, it was nice (st elulia (SIC)), but good to try different places I say. Would consider mainland if it was a little cheaper, certainly.

I will pop to the travel agents this weekend and get a feel for what there is about, taking your advice.

Thanks again.

Duncan

duncan32

spiro wrote: »

The other issue with booking late is you are very unlikely to get any 'free' child places.

If that's the case, then would it be true to say that the late deals are best for single people / couples, without kids? Sounds about right, as last year one of ours was a free child.

Thanks.

Duncan

spiro

duncan32 wrote: »

If that's the case, then would it be true to say that the late deals are best for single people / couples, without kids? Sounds about right, as last year one of ours was a free child.

Thanks.

Duncan

Best deals are always for singles/couple (without kids) because they are not tied to going during the school holidays.

busiscoming2

I find it best to book flights as early as possible and accomodation a bit nearer as in my experience flights go up and acc go down. Having said that we booked for Ibiza Oct half term just gone only three days before we left, flights were just over £600 with Thomson which were cheapest I could find and accom on beach HB was just under £300 for 2adults and a 12yo.

In my opinion it is all about spending the time searching for the best deal (which can take a long time) and I won't use the high street travel agent as they can't match the internet price!!

C_Mababejive

Duncan..for your money you can get much better value than ibiza. I think Ibiza is poor for dining out,beaches etc... I would suggest that you research Greek islands or if it must be Balearics then Majorca or minorca.

duncan32

Doesn't have to be Balearics, certainly. Have you a good tip for the Greek islands then? I will of course research on line, but be nice to have a starting point.

Thanks very much for the head up. It WAS expensive, I must say.

Duncan

BrightonSun

We went to Ibiza a couple of years ago booking sep. We booked the flights with easyjet and the hotel direct on Expedia. We managed 10 days and it was £150 each (Flights and accom)

Greece is cheap though, Olypmic holidays always have really cheap deals.

budgetflyer

There really isnt such a thing as a "FREE CHILD". You are paying for a package, if its £1500 for family of 4 then its £375 each. With 1 "FREE CHILD" under occ supplements would make the paying travellers £500 each probably.

Package tour opps like to herd you into 7 or 14 day holidays, herd you onto buses + then sell you their over priced excursions.

These are all items you can change to suit yourself by "self packaging"
Would a 8 or 13 day holiday matter if you could save £500?
Wouldn't it be better to get a private taxi to your accom using www.airporttransfers.co.uk ?
Choose what dates to fly using www.skyscanner.net or http://flightchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/ to get the lowest price flights.
Wouldnt it be better to choose from a wider range of accom such as on www.RoomRateCompare.com or www.hotelscomparison.com instead of being "guided" by whats most profitable for the "tour opp"

These little changes to your thought process could save you 50% off your next holiday.